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Employers in Ontario will need to reconsider the manner in which they handle workplace issues involving disability management and human rights litigation after the Ontario Divisional Court recently upheld the 2012/2013 decision of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal in Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board v. Fair, wherein the tribunal ordered Sharon Fair be reinstated into suitable alternative employment with her previous employer after approximately a decade had passed since her dismissal. This was in addition to the tribunal employing its power to order approximately a decade of back wages from June 26, 2003 (the date an accommodated/alternative position was available for the applicant to return to), to the date of reinstatement.

Last month I had the pleasure of attending The Advocates’ Society fall forum for litigators under 10 years of practice. This year’s theme was profile building, and social media was a regular topic. Several senior lawyers and judges reminded us that the Internet is forever — a fact that haunts me every time I think about the Trial by Fire columns I have written over the past three years.

A common argument from supporters of capital punishment is that it should only be imposed when we’re absolutely certain the condemned person indeed committed the horrible crimes of which he was accused. And if there were indeed a way to be 100-per-cent sure a person found guilty of murder was indeed guilty, I might be more sympathetic to this argument. I do believe there are some crimes so ghastly that the penalty of death is justifiable.

We are very fortunate in Canada that the class action bar — both plaintiff and defence — is relatively small and most of the major participants are well known to each other. In typical Canadian fashion, we adhere to a code of the highest integrity both in our representations to the court and in our dealings with opposing counsel. The instances where the court has reprimanded counsel for shoddy work or inappropriate conduct are exceptional.

In this month’s Making Rain, executive coach Debra Forman discusses addressing the elephant in the room. To lead successfully, you must guide, control and manage how you typically react and perform; avoiding tough issues means you have no control of the outcomes.

In August, the Ontario Divisional Court released its decision in Sherry Good v. Toronto Police Services Board, in which it found the elements required for certification had been met on appeal, reversing an earlier certification refusal in these G-20 class actions. This is despite the fact “[t]he proposed class action, as presented on this appeal, was markedly different from the proposed class action that was considered by the motion judge.”

There’s a wonderful scene in the third season of Sherlock, where Benedict Cumberbatch, playing Sherlock Holmes, explains to Phillip Anderson, a Scotland Yard forensic expert, how the BBC’s favourite sleuth faked his own death.

As lawyers, it is important we keep up with trends in technology, particularly if we want to use technology to better serve our clients and help manage our practice. However, technology is also a rapidly changing area that requires periodic updates on where it sits now, and where it is going.